Glenn Greenwald and Chris Hayes on elite failure and their lack of fear (from Aug. 2012)

[YoungDemCA]

One of the issues that has most interested, and most baffled, me, about all of these matters is the palpable lack of elite fear. In the past, the nation’s plutocrats were instilled with at least some fear — a healthy and necessary fear — of what would happen if inequality became too pronounced, if the 99.9% began suffering too much as a result of elite plundering and greed. Sometimes this fear led to extreme precautions (tycoons stashing wealth on a ship able to flee at the first sign of a Socialist Revolution), while other times it led to symbolic gestures (public acts of charity) or more substantive appeasement (the New Deal) as a way of placating mass anger. Especially when, as now, the force of law ceases to operate as a constraint on them (because the rule of law breaks down and no longer applies to the powerful), this fear of mass rage-fueled uprising imposed at least some limit on elite corruption, all grounded in self-interest: the worry that too much abuse would upend the system responsible for their wealth, status and power.

Yet even in the wake of the oligarch-caused 2008 financial crisis that has spawned extreme levels of sustained suffering around the globe, and even as social unrest emerges in several places in the Western world as a result of this insecurity and sense of outrage and betrayal, the American elite class still seems remarkably free of any such fear. The main reason I was and remain so enthusiastic about the Occupy movement is precisely because something is needed to pose a credible threat of unrest if America’s elite class continues on the same course.

I see no evidence that “rich people are very, very afraid” — at least not by their actions. And that, to me, is the problem. That fear — a lot more of it — is necessary. Their ability to rope themselves off from the society they are degrading, combined with the para-militarization of domestic police forces (aggressively displayed in response to the Occupy movement and related protests), and the rapidly increasing domestic powers of surveillance and detention (designed to intimidate the citizenry and thus deter and guard against mass protests), have convinced them, I think, that they need not fear any protest movements or social unrest, that America can and will become more and more of a police state to suppress it. An elite class that is free to operate without limits — whether limits imposed by the rule of law or fear of the responses from those harmed by their behavior — is an elite class that will plunder, degrade, and cheat at will, and act endlessly to fortify its own power.

http://www.salon.com/2012/08/01/chris_hayes_on_elite_failure/

[riderinthestorm]

1. Great article. Too many will bypass this because of the authors

That'd be a damn shame....

Thanks for resurrecting this.

[sabrina 1]

6. And others, Liberals like me, will pay attention BECAUSE of the authors.

It is an excellent article. Greenwald, one of this country's most courageous journalists despite being targeted for a smear campaign by some of our 'security contractors'. What is thrilling is how they failed. They tried to go after his family, a vile, low disgusting thing to do. They wanted to know even about his 'children, IF he has any'. CHILDREN, they were willing to spy on his children.

Anytime I see someone targeted like that, I know we have to support them. And in spite of their vile attempts to smear him, rather than going away, they actually contributed to his status today as a widely read International journalist, rather than what he was when they tried to shut him up about the Big Banks, a relatively small blogger.

[jwirr]

2. During the Great Depression era the Socialist Party was the big threat and that led to the advances

from the FDR administration. The big boys back then knew this kind of fear and it worked for all of us to the extent that the middle class came into existence as their buffer. Since then the 1% have learned to use divide and conquer to stay safe. They keep us fighting each other while they carry out their plans.

[Lunacee_2013]

8. Lately I've been thinking the same thing,

about the rich using divide and conquer tactics to keep us busy fighting each other. They use long established racist/sexist/homophobic fears to make us fight each other for the few crumbs that they leave us. It's not like they invented those fears, rather those fears (sexism, racism, homophobia, etc.) have existed for years and they've learned how to use them to their advantage.

For instance, see how the far right tea party types have used racial fears to keep poor or working class whites from noticing that they are voting against their own economic self-interests when they vote for republicans (or vote against Obama). And when conservatives use things like abortion or gay rights to keep the middle class from voting for democrats.

So, while we're fighting one another, they're laughing all the way to the bank. Of course this doesn't mean that all sexism/racism/homophobia is caused by the 1%, unfortunately our culture still has a lot of issues to deal with, it just means that they've figured out how to use those already existing fears to keep themselves safe.

[jwirr]

9. Good point.

[cprise]

3. In other news, Net Neutrality has been axed

Just one of many measures elites have taken to shore up their power over us.

Many Net Neutrality defenders are criticizing the move with a distinct lack of class consciousness. I think that will have to change.

[bvar22]

4. That is WHY they built the Homeland Security Department,

*Militarized the local Police,

*instituted National Coordination of Local Police Departments

*Instituted "Secret" COurts and "secret" laws

*Persecuting anyone who DARES to Blow-the-Whistle

*redefined a "Terrorist" as anyone they say is one

*tore up Habeas Corpus, the 4th Amendment (spying on Americans without warrants), 8th Amendment (Cruel and Unusual Punishment), along with several others

*installed permanent War Time Unitary Executive Powers

*Passed an insane NDAA giving secret assassination Powers to the White House
and secretly disappearing anybody they want to disappear.

*Broadened the NSA to where they can spy on anybody they want, anytime they want

*Building "private" prisons as fast as possible

This isn't about fighting "Terrorists".
It is about protecting Their MONEY and PROPERTY when the shit hits the fan.
And Hit the Fan it WILL,
because the current looting of the Working Class and Poor is unsustainable,
and "they" (RICH Republicans & RICH Democrats, working together) KNOW it.

That writing has been On-the-Wall for a while now for those with enough courage to read it.

[KoKo]

5. Indeed.. A Litany of Transgressions against the People and the Constitution!

[sabrina 1]

7. And conduct smear campaigns against anyone who DARES to tell the truth about them.

Glenn Greenwald eg, who was just a blogger talking about the Big Banks with a relatively small audience until Anonymous exposed the contract application for a SMEAR CAMPAIGN against him. They take no chances, even with a relatively obscure blogger like Greenwald. You see the smears right here on DU sadly.

But the world has weighed in and decided to support targets of these smear campaigns, like Greenwald to make sure they keep on talking. The Corrupt Rulers must be very frustrated to learn that when the people learned of their plans to smear someone like Greenwald, rather than shut him up, he gained worldwide recognition and respect as a journalist.

[Luminous Animal]

10. Kick.

[Egalitarian Thug]

11. K&R This is not the first time we've been down this road.

We could still avoid the bloody dead-end it leads to, but I see no indications that we have the will.